it could be sweet
by Elendraug
Summary: like a long forgotten dream. [ het. cynthia and jasper. spoilers, AU. for gaiafaye. ]


silent hill 4. cynthia velasquez and jasper gein. spoilers for the 21 Sacraments ending... sort of. PG. characters belong to konami.

written as a christmas present for for gaiafaye. set in xel-chan's "walterworld" from her wonderful fic, _ghost town_. this story will probably make more sense if you read that first. :B

* * *

**it could be sweet.**

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Cynthia wears a different outfit every day.

She has nothing to limit her anymore, nothing but her imagination. On a whim, she can choose from a multitude of lavish and formerly expensive clothes, indulge the part of her that never gave up dreams of being a princess. Ironic that only in death, in a stagnant afterlife of eternal monotony, can she achieve this.

Twirling the end of an elegant, delicate, scarlet-and-gold scarf, she steps up the twisting staircase of South Ashfield Heights. Sharon Blake is baking cookies down the hallway; the smell of melting chocolate reaches her, and she inhales indulgently. Cynthia is happier here, though she doesn't admit it -- no worries of weight gain, skin imperfections, unfashionable clothing, smudged makeup. Humming to herself, she knocks on the door to apartment 204, and is warmly received by the older woman.

The scrawny guy -- she's seen him a few times -- is seated at the table, drinking chocolate milk from a bottle and picking at crumbs that remain on his plate. Cynthia thinks she hears a noise from upstairs (303?), but ignores it.

Sharon uses the former tenant's oven mitts to remove a new batch. In this world, she doesn't really have to prepare anything properly: the cookies would always turn out perfectly. Without waiting for them to cool down (they're already solidified), she spatulas them onto another plate and brings it to the table. Jasper helps himself to half, and Cynthia doesn't hesitate to dig in. She dunks a crumbling half-cookie into a freshly poured glass of whole milk, and enjoys it thoroughly. She'll never gain a pound.

They eat contentedly, making small talk and thanking Mrs. Blake profusely before walking back into the hallway.

Jasper has a smudge of chocolate on his cheek.

Cynthia reaches up to wipe it away.

* * *

The train station is the same as always: dim lighting, creaking gate-hinges, and countless trains that never have passengers.

Cynthia and Jasper sit on a bench, idly kicking their feet and watching absolutely nothing happen. She thinks she saw someone trip and fall onto the tracks a while ago, but can't confirm it. Jasper thinks there might be demons here, and sounds a great deal more excited than he really should.

Her blue-sequined blouse shimmers in the bright headlights of yet another train, the glittering beauty disappearing instantly as the vehicle passes. Jasper downs the last of his chocolate milk in a final swig.

Cynthia grabs his hand and leads him back outside.

* * *

There is a playground near St. Jerome's hospital that Cynthia doesn't remember; she's not sure if it existed previously or not. In Walter's new world, the hospital is only a few blocks away, though it seemed much further while she was riding, semi-conscious, in an ambulance.

She didn't really want to be at the hospital. If she'd had her way, they would've returned to the apartment building, but Richard and Henry were blocking the entrance. Eileen and Walter were doing nobody-wanted-to-know-but-did-anyway what on the top floor. Even the parking lot in the back was taken, with Miriam and Billy playing hopscotch in the loose, dusty dirt. She wouldn't've minded that so much if Peter Walls hadn't been getting high a few feet away; she's never liked the feeling of being _watched_ that way.

But it doesn't matter, she thinks, sitting beside Jasper on a swingset. Here, they can go as high as they want, jump off, and not ever worry about getting hurt. The ends of the pink ribbons braided into her hair sway in the breeze.

For once, the air smells good.

Jasper spaces out as he watches a pack of dog-monsters wander past. He hadn't ever thought that the devil could create such a (relatively) peaceful afterlife. He's okay with it here. He has Bobby, he has Sein, he has chocolate milk and cookies.

Cynthia kisses him innocently on the corner of his mouth, and he realizes he has her, too.


End file.
